MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEpFORD, OREGON - THURSDAY. MARCH 21. 1963 J
Birch Society Threatens Capture of Young GOP, Leaders Claim
By DE VAN L. SHUMWAY
United Preit International
Sacramento, Calif. -TCPD- On
Jan. 24, President Harry Kea
ton of the 13,000-member
Young Republicans Organiza
tion of California called a
news conference.
What he had to say hit the
California and national GOP
right in their political hearts.
'The Young Republicans of
California face a power grab
by the leadership of the John
Birch society," Keaton said.
"Evidence supporting this con
clusion has steadily mounted
for over a year."
In the middle of February,
former Kansas Gov. Fred
Hall, who had migrated to
California and become presi
dent of the 10,000 -member
California Republican assem
bly, launched his own cam
paign against the Birch soci
ety. .
"The Birch society is the
closest thing we've had to a
fascist party in America," he
said. And he warned that the
Birchers were threatening to
take over control of his large
volunteer organization.
Major Inue
What precipitated those two
changes-and the part of the
Birch society in California
politics - has become a major
issue in the state.
And it could have a large
effect on who gets the nod
for California's huge delega
tion to the Republican Nation
al convention next year.
As a general rule, members
of the Birch society and other
strong conservatives favor
Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater
for the GOP presidential nom
ination. But other elements In
the party lean toward New
York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.
Keaton's statement set the
stage for a rough and tumble
fight at the Young Republi
cans' 1963 convention in Fres
no between GOP moderates
and conservatives.
Three'Compete,
The major battle was over
presidency of the organization
between Kenneth Davis, 30-year-old
Pasadena stockbrok
er representing the moderates,
and two other candidates.
One of these was Ronald
Garver, 31, of Los Angeles,
who acknowledged member
ship in the Birch society. The
other was Robert Gaston, 32,
of La Canada, who openly en
couraged support from the
Birchers but was not a mem
ber himself.
Casper W. Weinberger, a
San Francisco attorney and
chairman of the regular par
ty's state central committee,
for the first time took a
strong position against Birch
leadership.
He said the election of a
Birch-backed candidate to the
leadership of the Young GOP
group would have a "very un
fortunate effect" and would
convince independent Voters
not to vote Republican.
Birch Liability '
Davis put it bluntly: "The
label is controversial. The
Birch society can be a liabil
ity to the Republican party."
But on the eve of the elec
tion Garver withdrew dramat
ically in favor of Gaston -which
Keaton had warned
would happen-and asked his
supporters to do likewise.
The roll call vote the next
day gave a narrow victory to
Gaston, 189-170. He immed
iately charged the press had
"greatly exaggerated" faction
alism in the Republican party.
Shortly afterward, officers
of the 4,000-member College
Federation of Young Repub
licans bolted the state organ
ization and asked their mem
bers to follow them. President
Harold Phillips of Burbank,
Calif., said the "extreme con
servative position" of Gaston
was "not representative" of
the young collegians.
Virginia Savcll of Los An-
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Prital iffectlre Thr imtlf, March 24.
1 t
gcles, field representative for
U.S. Sen. Thomas Kuchel,
R-Calif., who campaigned vig
orously for Davis, called the
Gaston vic'.ory a "catastrophic
defeat for the Republican
party."
State to Suffer
Other reaction came quick
ly, too.
California Gov. Edmund G.
Brown, a Democrat, had this
to say: 'This state will suffer
if moderate elements of the
Republican party do not move
-and move quickly- to close
ranks against the Birchers and
their iron age thinking."
Thomas A. Launcella Jr.,
newly elected president of the
New York Young Republican
club, called it a plain take
over by the Birch society and
charged the Birchers "can do
nothing but retard the prog
ress of the Republican party
in California and throughout
the nation." i
Josiah Bccman of San
Francisco, president of the
California Young Democrats,
said his party would "wave
goodbye to the Young Repub
licans as they move back to
the 18th Century."
And in Los Angeles attor
ney William King announced
formation of a group calling
itself the commitce for re
sponsible Republicanism. He
said.it would promote "mod
erate liberal Republican
views."
It was In this atmosphere
that Hall spoke out to warn
that Birch-backed candidates
were trying to take over his
organization - the California
Republican assembly. N
we have sounded the
alarm all over the state," said
Hall. "If our delegates are
here we should have suffi
cient strength to defeat them
(the Birch candidates)."
The conservatives had two
major candidates for presi
dent-Harry Waddell, a 52-
year-old retired Navy Com'
mander from Salinas, and
Fred Nagcl, a S u s a n v 1 1 1 e
rancher who had made an un-
sucessful bid for Congress
And the night before the
election, Nagcl issued a state
ment throwing his support be
hind waddell so that respon
sible Republicans" could pull
together "for the best inter
ests of our party."
But Hall favored William
Nelligan, 54, a San Francisco
telephone technician and la
bor leader. And he predicted
the moderates would win by
50 votes.
Nelligan told newsmen that
the assembly should not "pro-
vide the stage for the extrem
ists to perform the dance of
destruction for the Republican
party."
Weinberger - still smarting
from the Young Republicans
setback-sent his regrets. Ku
chel, who won re-election last
November by 700,000 votes as
a liberal Republican, sent a
letter calling upon the large
volunteer organization not to
turn to the right.
Former U.S. Sen. William
'. Knowland was the keynote
speaker at a Saturday night
banquet-the evening before
the election. And he surprised
party regulars, fighting to re
in control.
"There are millions of ded.
icated conservatives who be
long to no organization other
than the Republican or Demo
cratic parties," he said. "They
are needed and have no inten
tion of being liquidated from
political activity.
"Every time a conservative!
leader arises there is an at
tempted smear to tar him as
reactionary or a member of
the Birch society. This is the
guilt by association technique
tne liberals bitterly obiected
to during the investigations by
Sen. Joseph McCarthy."
At a news conference.
Knowland said: "It's unfair to
say that all members of the
Birch society agree with (JBS
President Robert) Welsh any
more than all teamsters agree
with (teamsters head Jimmy)
Hoffa."
The next day. Feb. 24. came
the election-and Nelligan won
by a little more than 50 votes,
273-212.
It's the turning point
against the conspiracy of the
Birch society to capture con
trol of our party," a joyous
Hall told newsmen.
What happens now?
The record for the conserv
atives, including those who
Deiong to tne Birch society, is
i in caiifornias GOP for
1983. There is no other major
party element with an elec
tion this year.
But-and this worries Darty
regulars -the conservatives
have threatened to put ud
their own candidates next
year in state assembly and
state1 senate elections.
agle Point School
lection Slated
Eagle Point - Residents of
the Eagle Point school district
will vote on the extension ot
the school board to nine mem
bers at the election May 6.
A petition carrying more
than the required number ot
names to get the proposition
on the ballot has been turned
in to the Eagle Point school
clerk. The signatures repre
sent the Eagle Point, White
City, Shady Cove, Elk Trail
and Lake Creek areas, all ot
which are included in . the
school district.
The reorganization law per
mits the change from a live to
a seven or nine member board
If the specified legal proced
ure is followed. This proced
ure includes the filing ot a
petition presented to the voters.
It the voters approve the
proposal at the May 6 election
the nine member board would
asume office one year from
the election.
k- ...
KANSAN OPPOSES - Former Kansas Gov. Fred Hall, a mi
grant to California, has given a "verbal boot" to the Birch
Society, terming it the "closest, thing we've had to a Fascist
party in America." Now head of a 10,000-mcmber California
Republican volunteer organization, he has warned that Birch
Society adherents are threatening to take over Its control.
(UPQ